Last night, Uber announced that it’s going to begin testing two new ride-sharing services in a couple of American cities. The first new service is called uberCOMMUTE, and will be limited to users in the Chicago metropolitan area. The service will only be available during work hours on weekdays, and will allow riders to hitch a ride with someone who’s travelling to the city center, in exchange for a small fee. The other service is uberPOOL, which will be limited to users in the Seattle metropolitan area. This one is the more interesting of the two, as it’s almost like a bus. Groups of passengers will wait for an Uber driver at a set location, who will then drop them off at a separate set location.
It’s estimated that the average American commuter spends 42 hours a year stuck in traffic. That’s a lot of wasted time. What’s more, the problem will only get worse as cities and the economy grow. Investment in mass transit is an important part of the solution. But it’s expensive and not everyone lives within walking distance of the subway or a bus stop. Uber helps use today’s existing infrastructure more efficiently at no extra cost by getting more butts into the backseats of fewer cars. uberPOOL is a first step, making it quick and easy for people going in the same direction at the same time to share the journey. It’s a model that’s working. But that’s just the start of what’s possible with apps like Uber. Today, 76 percent of commuters in the U.S. drive to work by themselves. If they could easily share the trip (and the cost) with one or more fellow commuters that would dramatically cut congestion, improving everyone’s quality of life. It’s why we’re excited to announce two new pilot programs in Seattle and Chicago that will make it even easier for people to share their journey to and from work.
